Zero Day

Chapter 2

Cliff woke to the dull buzz of his phone vibrating on the nightstand. He groggily reached for it, his heart skipping a beat when he saw the time. He was already thirty minutes late for school.

"Fuck," he muttered, swinging his legs out of bed. The room was cold, the kind of chill that settled deep into the bones, and the dark clouds outside suggested it was going to be another bleak day.

He pulled on a "Death - Scream Bloody Gore" shirt, black jeans, and his worn combat boots. The familiar clothing did little to comfort him, but it was a routine—something to cling to in a world that felt increasingly unstable. He stepped out into the hallway and knocked on Randy's door. Silence. Cliff frowned, pushing the door open.

Randy's room was empty, his bed neatly made, the rain pattering against the window. The gray light filtered in, casting long shadows across the floor. Cliff felt a knot of unease tighten in his stomach. "Randy?" he called out, but the only response was the steady drumming of rain.

He pulled out his phone and dialed his mother's number. It rang several times before going to voicemail. Cliff cursed under his breath, his sense of unease growing. He headed downstairs, his boots thudding softly on the worn steps.

In the kitchen, a note lay on the table, hastily written in his mother's familiar handwriting:

Cliff, Randy and I had to go back to the hospital because your father wasn't doing well. Please go to school and we'll talk when you get home. Don't skip school again, we do not need to meet with Mr. Klein again. Especially with all this happening.

Cliff stared at the note, the words blurring together as his mind raced. The weight of the situation settled heavily on his shoulders. "Perfect," he muttered bitterly, crumpling the note in his fist.

He grabbed his backpack and stepped outside into the pouring rain. The icy drops soaked through his clothes almost instantly, but he didn't care. The cold felt grounding, a harsh contrast to the numbness creeping into his mind. He walked toward the school, each step heavy with a sense of dread.

When he arrived, the building was eerily silent. Cliff tried multiple doors, but each one was locked. The silence was unsettling, the usual bustle of students and teachers replaced by an empty stillness that set his nerves on edge.

"That's strange," he mumbled to himself, pulling out his phone again. He dialed Joey's number, hoping for some explanation.

Joey picked up after a few rings, his voice casual despite the situation. "Hello?"

"Yo, dude, is there school today?" Cliff asked, though he already suspected the answer.

"Ah, shit, I forgot to text you... There isn't any school today. No."

Relief washed over Cliff, but it was tinged with annoyance. "Thank god. I didn't really want to go, but now I'm already here, soaking wet in the rain."

Joey chuckled. "Just come to my place, man. It's not too far from the school."

Cliff hesitated, glancing around the empty streets. "Yeah, maybe. Why'd they cancel anyway?"

"Well, word got out about that old lady or whatever. There've been a few other reports like that in towns close to here, so they just canceled for the week."

"A whole week?" Cliff repeated, the weight of that sinking in.

"Yeah," Joey confirmed, a hint of disbelief in his voice.

Cliff sighed, running a hand through his damp hair. "Alright, I'll head home and dry off first. Maybe I'll come over later. You wanna walk with me to the hospital once I get there?"